Imogen - an extraordinary Traveller
The Traveller now known as 'Imogen' was handbuilt to order from the shell seen in these pictures over a period of six months in 2008/09 for Mike Dean of Linc's Branch MMOC. After watching the market for months, Mike decided that the car he wanted simply wasn't out there and that he'd have one built for him. Traveller Timbers sat with Mike and his wife Michelle and drew up specifications and a budget, and gave a timescale of works. Mike has kindly allowed us to use the photographs below to outline some of the work we did for him.
We showed Mike and Michelle through our stock of Traveller's awaiting rebuilds and they chose their base car. Mike chose to work from just the base shell of this car as he'd already decided that he wasn't going to use any second-hand parts, so the wings, doors, interior etc. were all used elsewhere. It had already had much work done, with replacement chassis legs and new floors throughout, new spring hangers, replacements sills, and various other new parts.
After much debate, the paint colour of Land Rover Bonatti Grey was chosen - as this was always planned to be a heavily modified car Mike and Michelle wanted to use a modern metallic colour, but to be 'in keeping' with standard Minor colours. The whole car was painted at this stage and we fitted Mike's 15" Minilites. This is a temporary steering wheel to aid moving the car about.
The new wiring loom was ordered and fitted, customised to account for Mike's planned additional electrical items. The wood frame was fitted and aligned. New brake pipe lines fitted ready for the disk brake conversion to go in later.
Some of the electrical modifications going in - the heated rear windows and the pin switch for the custom LED load area lights. Rear fog and reversing lamps trial-fitted (these were later moved further out and bolted to custom brackets hung under the bumper irons.)
We would normally have installed an engine and gearbox ourselves, but Mike had bigger plans for this car and had already commissioned JLH to build him a custom 1380cc A-series engine so the car was shipped to them for this to be fitted, along with the five-speed gearbox and chassis modifications. When it came back we started work on trial fitting the brand-new front wings and doors.
Time for the car to be painted again, this time as a full shell. The centre-mounted roof aerial was fitted and cabled down the inside of the windscreen pillar. Super deep paint finish achieved with multiple coats rubbed down between each layer followed by clear lacquer over the top.
We built a custom panel under the dash for some of the extra switches and added neat little chrome switches with LED's in the top. The bellhousing is JLH's custom fibreglass part to accommodate the Ford type-9 gearbox. Chroming up was commenced and initial fitment of hockey sticks and top chrome etc. The bonnet badging isn't in place yet - Mike chose the early Series II emblems in preference over the standard handle to follow his 'smooth front' look.
Michelle apparently won a bet with Mike and won her choice of interior colour, and here is the stunning interior specially commissioned from Newton Commercial in Michelle's custom cream leather. Also shown here is the Moto-Lita wood-rimmed steering wheel and custom cream-faced gauges.
The finished car posing for its insurance valuation pictures. There are around 70 modifications to standard specification on the car, although many are so subtle as to not be spotted at first glance. Mike and Michelle were aiming for a 'Series IV' car - the Minor that Morris would have made had production continued for a few more years, and we think they've succeeded. So, apparently, do the judges - the car has won a trophy at every event it attended in 2009!